In this update: The Tax Break Debate Reaches a Boiling Point The Grid Is Feeling the Pressure High-Voltage Power Lines Face Growing Opposition Air Quality, Water & Public Health What You Can Do Virginia's data center debate is entering a new phase. Earlier discussions on data centers focused largely on where they were being built. Today, the conversation is increasingly centered on their impact - rising electricity costs, new power lines and substations, air quality, water re

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and other organizations and agencies have made available a wealth of resources for learning about the past, present and future of our beloved Appalachian Trail, including the important ways we can interact with the AT as individuals and communities. Check out the links below for more information about different topics related to the Trail: - Indigenous Peoples' lands along the trail: Native Lands - Trail Magic: Trail Magic - Appalachian Trail

YOUR PRESENCE IS NEEDED: ATTEND THE JUNE 11 ZONING HEARING ON THE RIVERSTONE SOLAR PROJECT Buckingham County residents and landowners are called on to attend a critical Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) hearing on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. to demand transparency and equal enforcement of the law regarding the Riverstone Solar project. This vital hearing will determine whether County officials improperly allowed the project to continue after the developer failed to mee

Expanded Information following the May 20 Friends of Nelson (FON) Talk Written by Susan McSwain, May 21 Susan McSwain served as Nelson’s first Solid Waste & Recycling coordinator and helped with the overhaul from a system of unsupervised drop-off garbage sites to gated, staffed collection centers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Up until 1970, there was no garbage collection in Nelson. People dumped garbage in quarries,

In this Post: Transmission Infrastructure Is Expanding Into Rural Virginia Regional Expansion Continues New Focus on Air Quality, Water Use & Grid Reliability Public Opinion Is Rapidly Changing State Budget Negotiations Remain Stalled What You Can Do Virginia’s data center debate is no longer confined to Northern Virginia. Over the past several months, concerns about energy demand, transmission infrastructure, water usage, air quality, tax incentives, and local land use have

Friends of Nelson will be meeting again at the Rockfish Valley Community Center Lounge room on the 3rd evening of the month. This is a standing date, so mark your calendars accordingly! This month, we will be meeting on April 15th from 7-8:30pm. learn more about this months program below. We will look forward to seeing you.

Aging wind turbines are a massive clean energy opportunity Replacing the turbines on existing wind farms with newer, more powerful and efficient models could double the amount of electricity produced by onshore wind energy in the United States – without increasing its footprint. Repowering could more than double the current capacity of existing U.S. onshore wind farms, from 153 GW of wind power currently installed to approximately 314 GW. Yearly wind electricity generation w

An Electric Super-Highway Through the Piedmont - The Piedmont Environmental Council Some people in Nelson County received letters in the mail about the Joshua Falls-Yeat high voltage transmission line that is being proposed by Dominion Energy. Go to the website provided for more information. Below is the current map that is online. AEP is also proposing a new transmission line that will end near Gladstone. Visit the link here for more information and a map: Joshua Falls -

The Central Virginia Land Conservancy will award this year's Conservation Cornerstone to Doug Coleman at its annual Conservation Celebration on Saturday, March 21. Doug recently retired after 32 years as the Executive Director of the non-profit Nature Foundation at Wintergreen. Anyone driving to the resort will see wildflowers along the road that are part of the project he started more than 30 years ago to relocate native plants from areas where they would have been bull-do

Friends of Nelson will hold a public forum on “The Importance of Water” on Wednesday, Oct. 15 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Nelson Center....

We are grateful to all who participated in our first Community Conversation held at the RVCC lounge on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. This was...